Spinal Biomechanics Flashcards
What is biomechanics?
The function of the musculo-skeletal system
What are the 3 measurements in physics?
Length, mass and time
What is the International System of Units?
SI
Adapted from earlier MKS system
Meters (m), kilograms (kg) and seconds (s).
What is mass?
The quantity of matter in an object.
What is the basic unit of mass?
The kilogram
Where is the standard cylindrical piece of platinum-iridium kept?
Sevres in France
What does mass equal?
m = weight / gravity
What is weight?
The force that something exerts on anything which freely supports it.
What is weight expressed in?
Newtons
Who showed that all bodies, regardless of mass, have the same acceleration when they fall freely under the action of gravity?
Galileo
How is gravity denoted?
the italic letter “g”
What is the universal gravitational acceleration force?
9.81 m/s squared
How would you calculate the weight of a person who has a mass of 75 kg?
F = m * italic g F = 75 kg * 9.81 m/s squared F = 735N
Describe gravitational force.
Pulls all objects towards the center of the earth.
What is Newton’s law of universal gravitation?
Any two particles of matter attract one another with a force which is proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their distance apart.
Describe force.
Usually denotes a push or a pull.
When a body is acted upon by a force it will move.
“That which changes a body’s state of rest, or uniform motion in a straight line.”
What is a Newton?
One newton is the force that is required to give one kilogram an acceleration of one metre per second.
What is inertia?
The property of a body which causes it to tend to continue in its present state of rest or motion, unless acted upon by a force.
What is Newton’s first law of motion?
Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled by some other force to do otherwise.
Describe momentum
The product of its mass and velocity.
What is the unit of momentum in the SI system?
1 kilogram multiplied by one metre per second (kg m/s).
Explain momentum in relation to two bodies, a heavy one and a light one when the same force is acted upon them for the same length of time.
The lighter body builds up a higher velocity than the heavier one, however they gain the same momentum.
What is Newton’s second law of motion?
The rate of change of momentum of a body is proportional to the applied force and takes place in the direction in which the force acts.
What is Newton’s 3rd law of motion?
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
How can Newton’s 3rd law be described through the firing of a gun?
Mass of bullet x muzzle velocity = mass of gun x recoil velocity. The sum total of their momenta is zero.
Momentum is a vector quantity. What does vector quantity mean?
It has direction as well as magnitude.
What is the sum of two or more vectors?
The resultant.
What are a number of vectors that are added together called?
The components of the resultant.
asdf
asdf
What can vector diagrams be applied to?
Force, velocity and acceleration
When is torque created?
Every time we open a door, turn on a tap or tighten up a nut.
What are the two factors important when producing torque?
1st the magnitude of the force applied
2nd the distance of its line of action from its axis or fulcrum about which turning takes place.
When can a large turning effect take place even if the amount of force is small?
If the distance from the fulcrum is large.
What is the moment of a force?
The moment of a force (a) about a point or fulcrum is the product of the force and the perpendicular distance (b) of its line of action from the point.
What is a couple?
A pair of equal and opposite forces acting at a distance about the centre of rotation of the object to which the moment is applied. An example would be wing nuts.
Describe equilibrium (balance)
The condition of being equally balanced.
Both the loads and rotary forces have to be equal.
What is the point around which a lever rotates?
A fulcrum
How do you calculate the amount of turning effect or moment?
Multiplying the distance (in meters) from the fulcrum by the load applied (in newtons) to get a quantity called a turning moment and is expressed in newton metres.
What are the 3 orders levers can be divided into?
First Order
Second Order
Third Order
Describe first order levers
Seesaw is an example of this type of lever.
The fulcrum lies between the applied force and the resistance or load.
Not many examples of this in the body, but one would be the neck muscles.
Describe second order levers
The resistance is located between the applied force and the fulcrum.
An example would be a wheelbarrow.
An example in the body would be in performing plantar flexion when the calf muscles act across a second class lever.
Describe third order levers
A force is applied between the resistance and the fulcrum.
Most common in the body.
Biceps which flex the elbow.
Describe stress.
Name given to forces acting within a material which enables it to resist external loading.
How is stress generally classified?
Its type of loading.
How is direct stress measured?
load / cross-sectional area
What is tension stress?
Pulling apart
What is compression stress?
Pushing together
What is bending stress?
It’s bending.
What is shear stress?
Stresses coming from opposite sides.
What is torsion stress?
Twisting from opposite directions.
What is combined loading?
Compression and combined loading stresses combined.
What is a neutral plane?
In the axial center of a bar there is neither compression or extension when bending stress is applied.
What are contact stresses?
When loads are transferred between articulating surfaces.
What is cross sectional area?
The area over which load acts.
How is contract stress calculated?
Contact stress = load / area and is measured in Pascals.
What is a Pascal?
The pressure produced by force of one newton, applied with uniform distribution, over an area of one square meter.
What happens when someone walks on snowshoes?
It is distributed over the wide surface area of their show-shoes reducing the contact stress, thus making it less likely for them to sink into the snow.
What is hoop or triangle stress?
The hoop stress is created by the internal pressures of the liquid being resisted by the hoops around the barrel, as seen in the diagram below.
What is direct strain?
A measure of deformation of material when in stress.
How is direct strain measured?
Change in length / original length
What is shear strain?
Shear strain causes a change in the angular relationships within a structure. It is expressed in radians.
Describe elasticity.
A material that returns to its original shape when unloaded.
What is plasticity?
A material that after it is deformed does not return to its original shape.
What happens if stress does not exceed the yield point or elastic limit of the material?
It will return to its original shape and dimensions when the stress is removed.
Define plastic deformation.
When a material has been stressed to such an extent that it will not return to its original shape.
What is modulus?
An expression of the elastic stress-strain relationship of a material.
Stress, strain and modulus equations.
Stress = load / cross-sectional area Strain = change in length / original length Modulus = stress / strain
Describe stiffness.
If a material has a high Young’s modulus, it will only be able to dissipate contact stresses over a small area, thus concentrating them and producing areas of high stress. Think of a ball on a sheet of rubber vs a sheet of glass.
Stiffness related to diameter.
For every 2mm increase in diameter the stiffness increases by 16x
Bone density greater than 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter is called
Cortical
Bone density less than 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter is called
Cancellous